Mnemonic
by wings-like-no-other
Summary: A collection of memories drifting inside a broken canvas of a mind, left from a younger sister for her older brother to read. Desperately hoping he remembers. Sequel to Seventeen Years. OC
1. For Her

The sunlight landed on the table that the journal, causing shadows to drift across the cover. Sherlock stared at it, his hands locked in his hair. She had left it for him for a reason. She had never let him look at it before. There had to be some reason she left it for him now.

But Sherlock couldn't bring himself to look at it. He knew he owed it to her after what he did to her. He knew that if he didn't he would be betraying her.

His hands fell from his hair towards the cover, his long fingers pulling the cover open. On the first page there was another note, written in her looping handwriting that he had never thought she would have.

_Dear Sherlock,_

_In this notebook I have drawn my memories. These are ones that I hope you share, for we experienced them together. I hope that for my sake, you remembered our childhood. _

_Thank you Sherlock. For the good memories and the bad memories. Because at least they were memories spent with you._

_With all my love,_

_Aura_

Sherlock quickly closed his eyes. He couldn't do this. It would torture him too much

But he had to.

For her.


	2. First Memory: Too Similar

_It was a view through the window that led to their living room. Two figures were laughing together in the center of the room, their hair clearly defining who they were._

* * *

"No no no! You're doing it all wrong!" Sherlock fell back on his heels, glaring down at the young girl in front of him. His hands ran through his hair. Her pale eyes flew open and they glared at each other.

"Well, what do expect me to do?" she snapped up at him.

"Be better at being dead!" Sherlock moved so he was sitting, wrapping his arms around his long legs. "I have to practice!"

"I don't make a habit of being dead!" Aura pushed herself sitting, arms behind her while her fingers stretched out over the wooden floor. Her dark hair was hanging messily around her face, giving her face the impression of being covered in shadows.

"You should be better at it!" he pouted. "There haven't been any good murders lately. I have to keep up my strength."

"Fine." She fell back. Her face immediately cleared of emotions and her eyes closed. He smiled, leaning back over to continue studying her. His long fingers played in the air above her as he searched her body for clues.

"Traces of an imprint of a hand around neck; possibly strangled."

"Wrong." A trace of a smile played on her lips.

"Be quiet!" his eyes glared.

"You got it wrong. I felt you should know." her eyes opened again. The siblings stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was a common problem they had. Both wanted to prove themselves right that they couldn't even try to be calm when working with each other.

"Be quiet you two! I'm trying to study?" Mycroft shouted from above them but it did nothing to quench their laughter. They heard his footsteps pounding the ground as he stormed down the stairs but it only increased their laughter. His angry face appeared in the doorway. "Will you please be quiet!"

"Oh come on!" Aura smiled at him. Her hands clutched her stomach as she giggled. "Have a little fun!"

"I have a very important examination tomorrow that I have to study for." With that, Mycroft turned and stomped away. She and Sherlock glanced at each other again before letting their laughter get even higher in volume. Mycroft sighed from the hallway, annoyed as always at his younger siblings. They were so perfect for each other it was idiotic.

**A/N: This is the form all chapters will follow. A description of an image in italics at the top and the event underneath. I hope you enjoyed the first memory.**

* * *

**Ages:**

**Mycroft: 16**

**Sherlock: 12**

**Aura: 8**


	3. Second Memory: Someone Has To

_A perfect recreation of a flower. It seemed impossible that someone had drawn it._

* * *

Aura smiled down at the paper in her hands, her grin the one of a young child's. The drawing was crude, clearly done by someone who could barely hold a pencil on their own. But she was proud. Aura looked up and raced to where her brother sat reading.

"Serlook." The young boy looked up. "Look at my drawing!" She waved the picture in his face.

"The petals aren't even. That type of flower; all the petals would be the same size and directly opposite each other."

Her face dropped, but only for a second. She raced back and re-did the drawing, only to have her brother say that something else was wrong with it.

She tried so many times to get it right. The floor around her became littered with crumbled up papers and she had been forced to find new pencils multiple times. But now, she knew she had it right. She had done everything her brother had told her. She had gone out to the garden to make sure it was right. It had to be perfect.

Slowly, Aura brought the picture to her brother. He held out a hand for it and she placed the drawing in his upturned palm. The minutes that passed as he stared at it made her worried that something was still wrong. That she still was unable to please her brother.

And then he nodded.

Aura knew that was the most praise she could get out of him, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She took the drawing back and retreated to her room, pinning the completed drawing on her bedroom wall. Mycroft would like it. He would tell her it was good. Or Mummy would. Or Daddy. Someone would. They had too.

**A/N: I've recently realized I never gave my head-cannon ages for Seventeen Years or for each memory in Mnemonic.**

**In Seventeen Years:**

**Sherlock: 36**

**Mycroft: 40**

**Aura: 32**

**Moriarty: 35**

**The ages for Mnemonic will now be included at the end of each memory. Thank you for reading. If you ever come up with an idea for a memory, please send it to me. I would like to include your ideas in the story.**

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**Ages:**

**Sherlock: 6**

**Aura: 2**


	4. Third Memory: Heaven and Hell

_A figure is standing before a stove, smoke coming out of a pan that cooks. Three children sit around the table; one reading, one watching and one clutching the seat below them._

* * *

"What are you making Mummy?" Aura was bouncing up and down in her chair, her hands clutching the bottom seeming to be the only thing holding her down.

Mother turned around to smile at her. "Bacon, Aura. Now calm down and sit still like your brothers."

Aura looked between Mycroft and Sherlock. Sherlock hadn't taken his eyes off of their mother while Mycroft still seemed engrossed in his reading. "Serlook?"

"Yes?"

"How can you sit so still?"

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"What bacon could taste like."

Aura tilted her head to the side. "What do you think it'll taste like?"

"I have nothing to base it off of, so I don't know."

Mycroft glared at the two of them. "Be quiet. I'm trying to read."

Their mother appeared beside them, three plates in her hands. "Stop arguing and eat."

The three children stared at the food before them for a few minutes. Their mother had left the room, leaving them alone to eat. Aura picked up a piece and held it in the air, letting the light shine against it. "I don't like it."

"You haven't even tried it yet." Mycroft snapped. But he didn't move any quicker to pick up the piece.

"I don't like it either." Sherlock pouted, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. "It smells funky."

Aura shoved her plate to the center of the table. She slipped out of her seat and moved so that she was standing between her brothers. She picked up a piece and held it out to Mycroft. "You try it."

Mycroft grimaced, but he took the piece from her and popped it in his mouth. He said nothing, only smiled and took another. Aura turned to Sherlock next. "Now you Serlook." She took a piece from his plate.

As soon as the bacon touched his tongue Sherlock spit it out. "Ew." He rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm going to go play."

She grabbed his arm to stop him. "Wait! What did it taste like?"

He was still grimacing. "Like smoke, fat and salt."

She turned to Mycroft next, who had dumped both Aura's and Sherlock's onto his plate. "What do you think it takes like?"

Mycroft's cheeks were bulging with food. "Like heaven on earth."

**A/N: Thank you to Push to Shove for the idea. I hope you enjoyed this memory; I found it quite fun to write. This one is the happiest I've written so far, but I hope others will be coming in the future. I loved writing something based off someone else's ideas. Please, submit other ideas that you would like me to write about. I'm looking forward to seeing this story sculpted by you readers.  
**

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**Ages:**

**Mycroft: 9**

**Sherlock: 5**

**Aura: 1**


	5. Fourth Memory: First

_The sea crashed behind a girl who prances in the sand. The two figures closest are two boys, staring at the girl before them._

* * *

"How does she find that enjoyable?" Mycroft wondered aloud. His eyes followed Aura as her hair blew behind her, knotting and becoming filled with sand. "Can't she simply sit still?"

Sherlock, honestly, was itching to join her. She looked like she was having quite a bit of fun, prancing about around the sand and leaping through the air. Occasionally she would sing something, but it sounded like nonsense. "She's a child, Mycroft. She has quite a bit of energy built up inside her. I would rather have her release it here rather than at home." He moved the chess piece. "Your move."

"I wonder how long it will take her to use up the energy." Mycroft said thoughtfully.

At that moment, she bounced in front of her brothers. "Come join me in the sea Serlook." The air whisked through the gap between her from two teeth. Her smile was wide. "It's fun!"

"No Aura. I'm playing chess with Mycroft."

Her face transformed into a frown, but she leaned over the game board. "He's going to win. It's gonna take five moves, but those will be the only moves that any of you can do." Sherlock turned wide eyed at the board.

"You're right." Mycroft smirked.

"Can you come play now?"

Sherlock smiled at her. "Yeah." She pulled him up and raced back to the water, skipping through the ocean and splashing the area around her. Sherlock shrugged at Mycroft. "I can't help myself. I want to play in the water too." He raced to Aura and promptly fell into the water. She giggled in response.

Mycroft watched as now two siblings began to chase after each other. With a sigh, he pushed himself up and joined them, making a point to tell him he was not getting wet. But that quickly changed as Aura pushed in into the water. Sherlock and her giggled in response. With a smile, Mycroft began to chase after her for revenge.

When the sun had set, Mycroft carried a now sleeping Aura out of the ocean. He could see their parents waiting in the house, no doubt wondering why all three children were soaked. But they had spent one of their first full days together.

**A/N: I've decided to post another happy one. I had a someone else submit an idea, but I haven't gotten around to writing it yet. I hope you liked this chapter. Please suggest ideas; I will begin writing the one I received the moment I post this. Thank you again.**

* * *

**Ages:**

**Mycroft: 11**

**Sherlock: 7**

**Aura: 3**


	6. Fifth Memory: Ripped

_There is a hand resting on the doorknob, the long fingers wrapping around the golden surface._

* * *

There is one reason Sherlock came home that Christmas; to see Aura. The memory that he would see her in a few weeks was the only thing that made him leave university quicker than normal. It was the thing that made him bound through the front door, dropping his bag on the ground before looking around for her. It was the thing that made him freeze when she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Hello Sherlock." Mycroft appeared in the doorway. "Did you have a nice journey home?"

Sherlock raised his eyebrows. "It was suitable. When did you get here?"

"Earlier today. Mother just began cooking."

Sherlock glanced around the entrance hall once again. "Where is Aura?"

Mycroft jerked his head towards the stairs. "In her room." Sherlock began to move in that direction. "Be careful Sherlock. She…is not herself."

With a sneer, Sherlock climbed the stairs and made his way to her room. He was bouncing slightly when he knocked on her door. But no sound came from within. "Aura?" He knocked again, but still nothing happened. His hand dropped to her doorknob, but Mycroft's words came back to him. Aura wasn't herself. He hesitated, almost wanting to go ask Mycroft for more information, but he turned the doorknob anyways. The door swung open.

It was startlingly bright in her room. Every single light burned and there wasn't a single corner of darkness. Her walls were covered with papers, edges curling with age. There was not a single bit of the old wallpaper showing through.

But in all those pictures, there was not a single one with Sherlock. There were ones of the family, but only four people were present. There were ones from their childhood, but there were only two children in the pictures. In some it was obvious someone had been removed, the rough outline carving through the drawing. In others it was impossible.

There was a ripping noise from somewhere and a piece of ripped paper was flung through the air from behind the bed. Carefully, Sherlock made his way towards it. As he rounded the corner, another piece of paper hit him in the hand.

Aura was huddled against the side of the bed, a pile of papers in her lap. She was rocking back and forth, her body shaking as she began to rip another paper. "He's not real. He can't be real. He's too good to be real. Bad Aura. Stop thinking he's real. That wasn't his voice. It couldn't be because he isn't real. He's not real. That wasn't him." She spoke quickly, the words blurring together. "He isn't real. He can't be real. There is no way he is real."

Sherlock stepped back slowly, backing up against the door. More paper was flung through the air. Quickly, he left, rushing downstairs to where Mycroft was waiting. "What happened to her?"

Mycroft shook his head. "I don't know."

**A/N: It has been a long time since I uploaded a memory. So sorry about that. I am also sorry that this one is not one of the ones requested. I have one of those written, but I don't feel completely confident with it. I will be editing it a bit more before I post it.**

**This one isn't a happy one, but I like it. Please tell me what you think and I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

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**Ages:**

**Mycroft: 23**

**Sherlock: 19**

**Aura: 16**


End file.
